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Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall and Barbara Cooney (1979)
Ox-Cart Man is an American picture book written by Donald Hall and illustrated by Barbara Cooney in 1979. The following year, in 1980, it won the Caldecott medal.
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August: Osage County Film Study
August: Osage County is a tragicomic stage play written by Tracy Letts, who also wrote the screenplay. He won a Pulitzer for this one.
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Colours Of The American West
The header illustration was created with Midjourney AI, using the prompt: /imagine [ENTER] colors of the american west, illustration, comic art, retro –ar 3:2 –q 2 This was another imagine, produced with the same prompt: What if I change the prompt to this: /imagine [ENTER] colors of the american west, classic painting Here are some more illustrations of the American…
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Doubt 2008 Film Study
One of my favourite films of all time. The perfect story. I look at how ‘symbolism’ and ‘foreshadowing’ exist on a continuum and sometimes overlap.
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Uncle Einar by Ray Bradbury Short Story Analysis
We’ve already met Einar as Timothy’s uncle in “Homecoming”. Now we see the man at home, and learn more about the realities of living as a supernatural being in a world made for regular humans.
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Homecoming by Ray Bradbury Short Story Analysis
“Homecoming” is a short story by American writer Ray Bradbury, first published in 1946. A family of ghouls hosts a big family reunion for Allhallows Eve. Dead relatives return for the occasion. Unfortunately for Timothy, he seems to be the only member of the family who doesn’t have supernatural powers. Some readers pick this up expecting a chilling thriller. This…
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The Night by Ray Bradbury Short Story Analysis
“The Night” is a second-person point of view short story by American writer Ray Bradbury, first published in 1955.
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The Man Upstairs by Ray Bradbury Short Story Analysis
Let’s take a look at a vampire story by American writer Ray Bradbury. “The Man Upstairs” was first published in the March 1947 issue of Harper’s Magazine. You’ll also find it in Stories Volume One and Bradbury’s 1955 collection called The October Country.
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The Haunted Boy Short Story by Carson McCullers Analysis
“The Haunted Boy” is a 1955 short story by American writer Carson McCullers, who writes of adolescent boys as adroitly as Alice Munro writes of adolescent boys, focusing on their softness, and the conflict that derives from needing to look manly while not feeling at all strong in the face of adversity. “The Haunted Boy” explores the struggles of Hugh…
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Eloise by Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight
Eloise is a classic 1955 picture book written by Kay Thompson, illustrated by Hilary Knight. Writer Kay Thompson (1909–1998) was also a composer, musician, actress and singer. Illustrator Hilary Knight was born in Hempstead, Long Island, New York, in 1926.
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Rip Van Winkle Can Get In The Sea
I finally read the short story “Rip Van Winkle” (1819), by America’s first well-recognised author, Washington Irving. Some say that Irving invented the American short story. (Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe turned it into literary art.)
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Charles by Shirley Jackson Short Story Analysis
“Charles” is a very short story by Shirley Jackson, first published in 1948. Told in first person from a mother’s point of view, this is the story of a little boy who starts school and immediately transforms from a little boy into a smart-mouthed brat. He talks constantly about a boy called Charles who gets up to all sorts of mischief.
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The Falls by George Saunders Short Story Analysis
“The Falls” (1996) is a short story by American writer George Saunders. Two men walk along a river and face a moral dilemma. Should one risk one’s own life in the hope of saving two drowning girls?
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The Ways Of Ghosts (An Arrest) by Ambrose Bierce Short Story Analysis
“The Ways Of Ghosts”, also called “An Arrest”, is a very short ghost story by American writer Ambrose Bierce, first published in October 1905. Perfect for a 1905 Hallowe’en?
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There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury Short Story Analysis
“There Will Come Soft Rains” (1950) is a short story by American author Ray Bradbury. I thought I’d better read it because August 4 2026 is looking nearer and nearer, and I’d like to know what to expect in four years’ time.
